8 Asian Entertainers Who Are Making Names For Themselves In The States

October 3, 2014 3:10 PM

40
0

While Hollywood’s under-representation -- and misrepresentation of Asians -- is well-documented, we’re glad to see that Asian Americans cast in dynamic, textured roles that don’t rely on stereotypes. Recently, the half-Vietnamese Maggie Q has been praised for playing tough-as-nails characters, from the assassin in the CW’s “Nikita” to her role in “Divergent” to her current role in CBS’ “Stalker.” The Indian-American Kal Penn has catapulted from “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle” to “The Namesake” to a real-life role in the White House. Other stars, from John Cho to Zhang Ziyi to Aziz Ansari to Ken Jeong, have created great visibility for Asians in our current culture.

In American music, however, the picture is somewhat bleaker: the most memorable pop songs on American charts have been relegated to novelty hits: see Psy’s “Gangnam Style” and William Hung of “American Idol."